"The flame of inspiration burns within you, sir. Brandy has established herself as a most able muse. Keep her close to your breast, you noble tippler."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:48, Sat 20 May 2023.

'So, we going back to the house to collect paintings or stick a pin in it and try somewhere else for awhile?"

“Well, here are the playing cards we have.” Cass pulls them out onto the table for everyone to examine.

Mysterious Playing Cards (value/use unknown):
     #1  - “Sir Runic the Rump” from Prison Cell
     #12 - “Rocking Horse Winner” from Torture Chamber
     #30 - “Rinsel the Ravishing” from B19 Bedroom (just before Trevion killed)
     #41 - “Relang the Racker” from Smoking Room

“I don’t remember seeing any paintings that matched these, specifically, but Otis and Ornwin have been the ones focusing on the paintings so far. Shall we go back and keep exploring? There are certainly more cards to find - and many paintings to examine.”

”I may be speaking out of wishful thinking,” Rasxif said, ”but perhaps the more cards and paintings we pair, the more secrets the Manor will give up. It might even be that they hold the key to putting the evil that lingers there to rest, once and for all.”

“Well, if the numbers on the cards are any indication, then we only have about 40 more cards to find!” Cass suggests optimistically.

Archonia had only seen three named paintings:
1. Ready Rhydreg
2. Risque Roschar
3. Rosienna the Romancer (which had teleported them elsewhere)

She had wanted to look at others in the hall of a hundred paintings, but some mysterious force had distracted her away from doing so. Perhaps this would be the opportunity to do so after all.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Wed 24 May 2023.

Brant's head starts to nod before he gives it a shake to rouse himself.

"Chester! Know where we could find a medium-sized cart and something big enough to pull it?

A polite belch escapes his lips.

"We're going to need some help getting all those paintings back to town."

Ornwin says, "Now I have cudgeled my wits enough, I believe we saw the portrait of Relang the Racker, who is also on one of the cards. We could try putting those two together and see what happens before we try collecting all the pictures --that would be quite a job."

“A small cart or hand wagon is not a bad idea - especially with four strong, strapping men-at-arms (no offense intended to the non-humans) to share the burden of pushing it. But I agree with Ornwin - I’m not sure we want to empty the Manor of all the Rump paintings. Let’s see what happens when we mate the card and painting in the Main Foyer - then we can go from there.”

Chester's expression goes all dozy when Brant asks him about finding "something big enough to pull it."

"You mean a horse, a fine strapping lad of a horse -- or filly if that's your preference. If there is one thing a horse can do, it's pull it. But we all know that horses can do so much more."

"The golden times of the brotherhood (or sisterhood) of horse and man have passed away from Tegel. But I think Marash-ar has four fine horses of his own. That's so selfish, don't you think?"

A draft horse can be bought for 25 gp.
A tumbrel can be bought for 15 gp.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:20, Sat 27 May 2023.

Brant narrows his eyes at Chester. "I don't think I get you but thanks for the tip about the horse."

Brant procures a horse and tumbrel for their return to the manor. "Even if you don't want to collect the paintings, I'm sure getting tired of that walk."

Party willing, we return to the manor with the horse and cart.

Brant buys the horse and cart for 40gp

I think ye also be wanting a 2nd draft horse, 2 saddles (12 GP each), a harness (25 gp), and one bag of feed per day per horse (5 CP each).

What if Brant pulls it himself?

Ornwin says, "Let's not worry about horses for the cart. We can pull it if we have to. But first we need to find out whether it is really worth carrying off all the portraits."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:17, Mon 29 May 2023.

Rasxif regarded the goings on with a strange mixture of hope and dread. If the portraits and cards will somehow put the Manor’s evil to rest, the diminutive adventurer is encouraged that the company now possesses an end goal, though it is one that will require much time and exploration to achieve. Yet, it seems that nothing good has ever come of interacting with the portraits, a fact that leaves the gnome deeply unsettled.

Otis gives a sack of coins to Cass, "For your kindness! May you have a long and prosperous life!"

======
OOC: The sack contains 446gps and 60sps
This message was last edited by the player at 02:28, Wed 31 May 2023.

"Cheer up, my lamb. Trends and fashions come and go, but if one waits long enough, what is old is new again. I'm sure that golden time will come back," Archonia reassured him.

As for the paintings, she thought it better to wait and see what happened when card matched to portrait before moving any of them, but there was nothing wrong with having a cart. Even if the paintings are better staying in place, the armor had quite a burden to bring back.

Chester brightens at your earlier than expected return to the inn, interrupting the boredom of yet another desultory afternoon.

Efficiently, he identifies the two magical items you have whisked away from the manor... (see below).

"Why would anybody want a dog at their side?" he wonders when there are so many other nickering alternatives.

Within the cafe, you don't find your patron tucking into his latest dish although the tables that he and his last one occupied still shine with congealed lamprey juices. From above, you can hear cries of bowel-shaking remorse.

At the bar are two unsavory fellows, both dressed from head to tail in leathers. One has a heavy crossbow at his side and other some bizarre pole arm the name of which you probably wouldn't know so why bother sharing it? They are greedily helping themselves to overstuffed bowls of cottage cheese, bringing any initial thoughts as to their gender sharply into question.

+1 Studded Leather Armor
Bugle of the Hunt (1/x per day will summon d3 hunting dogs who will arrive in d3 rounds) (any dog dispatched while in service will be unavailable for 30 days)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:14, Sat 02 Sept 2023.

Ornwin remarks, "A king of the legendary land of England died of a surfeit of lampreys. I hope our patron will not go the same way."

OOC: I find that cottage cheese is quite manly when eaten with soy sauce.

Over the next three days, Brant pays for and ministers over the helpless Rasxif. At the first signs of consciousness, Brant pours warm spoonfuls of soup down the gnome's throat to aid him in his recovery. No pillow goes un-fluffed, no bedpan goes un-emptied while the fighter carries out his steadfast vigil.

Cass admires Brant’s duty of care and vigilance over the recovering Rasxif. Perhaps, one day, with some training and coaxing, Brant could be trained to become a true healer. Cass checks on Rasxif occasionally to make sure he isn’t dying or choking on the cottage cheese, but otherwise stays out of Brant’s way.

Cottage cheese needs mustard, according to all the current trends, and Archonia did like what was fashionable, so she avoided the dining for the moment.

Over the next few days, she would go in and see if the gnome had died at any point, almost certain it had been a promise, and she was so looking forward to his report of it.

In whatever dark place that Rasxif’s consciousness has slipped away to, the gnome still has a shadow of awareness, enough to be eternally grateful to his friend for his care. Unfortunately, at least for the time being, he is unable to give voice to that gratitude.

Once Rasxif awakens (and once we have Ornwin’s updated HP and any spell updates), we will head back to the Main Foyer.  Cass wants to look for that elusive secret door that HAS to exist on the western wall opposite the hallway door on the eastern wall of the Main Foyer.

Chester, when Archonia asks where she might be able to have a silver dagger forged, responds that Rothald the Twice-born has four magic daggers for sale (4 +1 daggers, 750 GP each, or 2500 GP for the set).

After four days of fever and nightmares, Rasxif emerges from his comatose state. There are deep suspicions among his nursemaids that the fourth of those four days might not been, strictly speaking, necessary for the gnome's full recovery.

Shad remains secluded in his room, his regular retching becoming less cataclysmic as the hours and days pass.

As she works her way down the menu, having reached something called a lamprey vichyssoise,  Archonia ponders the wisdom of her course.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:04, Sun 09 July 2023.