player plot: chateau d'onterre

[doneisdone]

WHO: Teren, Abby, Clarisse, Julius, Mobius, Redvers, Viktor
WHAT: The Gang Gets Stuck in a Haunted House
WHEN: ~Harvestmere
WHERE: the Emerald Graves
NOTES: Please track the post and keep to one thread, which I will re-up with a new starter periodically!

It's a dark and stormy night.



The party was on their way from the eluvian to a rift at Argon's Lodge, but, having been caught up in an especially nasty squall, has been forced to seek shelter somewhere nearer than either. Lightning flashes, too close for comfort; it illuminates a flash of metal through the overgrown trees, perhaps a sign of civilization. They draw nearer, and are able to identify a large and elaborate gate, hanging slightly ajar. Inviting.

Thunder cracks furiously, and with little choice but to duck within or to remain out in the downpour, the party chooses the former. A short stone walkway leads up to an enormous building, impossibly concealed by the forest and even now partially obscured by mist and rain. Redvers tries the door, a construct tall and grand: it groans open.

The entryway is pitch black as they pile in, the occasional flashes of lightning enough to suggest the accoutrements of a personal dwelling, albeit a large and wealthy one. Julius, the last one inside, has barely drawn his dripping overclothes through the doorway when it slams shut of its own volition, and cannot be opened again.

Down the hall, about ten paces away, a sconce flickers to life.

Comments

[grindset]

Viktor has watched three go up the staircase, now, and resisted the little urge to follow each of them for some indistinct reason that he doesn't feel like unpacking at the moment, which is fine, it's probably nothing. Recognizing that allowing himself to fall to the tail end of the group would be unwise—and it would be unwise even if there weren't any brutally disfigured remains lying just over there—he tucks the malfunctioning thaumoscope away, casts to Abby a look that says he kind of hates this too, comrade, and then puts himself next in line to follow. Since they've paused their ascent, for now this means standing at the bottom of the stairs and gazing up after them like a haunted mannequin.

Those attempts on the window, especially the indicative but unsuccessful spellwork, do not imbue one with much confidence, here. If a mage as experienced as Julius couldn't get it to budge even slightly...

[doneisdone]

Standing just behind Viktor, Teren watches the group's flanks, blades drawn in preparation for whatever bullshit might appear to take them out. The only sound is their footsteps on the stairs.

The parchment Mobius picks up is small, torn from some unseen book, its contents handwritten:

It's not fair. I want to go outside. I can hear the guests downstairs. Another party. There's always another party. Mother and Father bought me a present to make me feel better. To make me better. They're just trying to shut me up.

Cook's scared of me. She still calls me my sweets, but she's scared. Still, she hasn't told Father or Mother. She's afraid of me more than she likes them. I don't think Cook likes herself much either, these days.

I have a new friend now.

She understands me.

She'll help make things fair again.

[favoriteanalyst]

Mobius scans over the note, then again more slowly. "Careful with that," he suggests to Clarisse, passing it on behind him--oh, getting kind of a line here, huh? He moves himself further along the shelves, still staying well within the light so obligingly provided to them to make room.

"Looks like it's from someone's diary. I'm thinking there was a child who came into magic and ended up making contact with someone they shouldn't have." It's not the most uncommon story, especially among richer folk, to hide the kids away, hide the magic and thus the shame. And then not let them go to a Circle for proper help and protection. "Might explain some of the strangeness."

Not all of it, mind, but with all this firepower, if there's a demon that's made awful work of some thieves, they can take one on no problem. "I saw something up here, but I don't know if it's beast or not. If anyone comes across something that looks like a diary, speak up. This bit of scrap wasn't here for no reason."

[laruetheday]

Clarisse takes the note from Mobius and scans it over. If she really wanted to read it over carefully they would be waiting on her for a minute, so she passes it on to Julius after a few seconds instead, as soon as she gets the gist of the contents.

"So somebody left this here... by itself?" That's not suspicious at all. Fine, though, she'll step up onto the landing and take a look around for anything that looks like a diary.

[doneisdone]

The distinct sound of shuffling footsteps can be heard once more, behind one of the shelves in front of them. They sound bipedal, and obvious enough that their source isn't trying to conceal their presence, but no other sound is made.