The Fall of House Pancrazio Chapter One

[JMaytr]

AT PANCRAZIO MANOR-

THE STABLES-

Goran tumbles down gracefully, landing with a slight thud on the earthen floor of the stables. Moving out of sight with his dagger drawn he waits soundlessly for whatever made the noise. Craning his head slightly he can see a hunched form dragging something behind him. The rain picks up then, beating down on the stable roof like musket fire. Then a crack of lightning brightens the sky and Goran can see the figure clearly.


It is Emilio, the house majordomo. He is dragging a burlap sack with a cumbersome load.


IN THE LARDER-

Agna has to stand on her tip toes to access the top shelf. There are many canning jars stored here, most with a fine layer of dust covering them. The shelf is quite deep, forcing Agna to use the bottom shelf as a step. This proves successful as she finds the jar Luisa had stored her tea in.


"MIIIINNNEEE!!!"

The voice comes from behind Agna. Whirling about she sees...





The creature is wearing the funeral garb Luisa was buried in mere hours before. Dirt is caked to her hair and clothes. Plump green grubs crawl around the nose and eye sockets of the creature, even writhing out of her mouth.

Mariabella is bloody motionless, clutched in the creatures claws, her feet dangling inches off the floor of the kitchen. (1)


ALONG THE ROAD-


Tristan brings his pistol up, the explosion from the gun tearing the rest of the wolf's head from its shoulders. Checking his arm he can see that the bite marks are deep but to not seem to be as bad as the ones on Jullian's leg. The armored man's face seems an unhealthy pale and he is drenched in sweat. (2) The wolves are all dead save the one that ran off as the fight began. There is no sound on the wind.


(1) WILL SAVE. This is a fear effect.
(2) SECONDARY POISON EFFECT: 2 CON dmg/ 5HP dmg

[RocEter]

Jullian kneels down and examines his leg "Well this is turning out to be an interesting night." He says to the Tristan and Tahl.

Jullian touches his leg with his hand. (1)

Jullian stands back up his leg swollen and covered in dry blood, he walks over to Tristan "Let me see your arm Tristan, I can heal it." As Tristan offers up his arm Jullian places a hand on it. (2)

1. Lay on hands for 3 HP
2. Lay on hands for 3 HP

Status
Con 14-2 = 12 (loss is 2 additional HP)
HitPoints= 13/20
Lay on Hands= 2HP available.

[PathOfDreams]

Goran watches silently...

After a moment of query, his words projected with the intention of spooking the old man, he speaks while remaining in the darkness,

"I should hope my father does not have you out here on request"

Paying close attention to the sack (1), he emerges from the shadows slowly while removing his mask.

"I know you will not ask, so i will offer. Could you use a strong arm at this hour my old friend?"

A generous grin forms on the lips of Goran as he approaches Emilio...

(1) Spot check to guess contents of sack, result 19.

[ewancummins]

On the road....

Tristan seems surprised by Julian's healing power.

''Didn't know you had the healin' touch! Thank you kindly, Mister Pancrazio.''


Tristan immediately sets to reloading his guns and then scans the area for any more wolves, or signs of danger.

''We'd best head back, then. We ought to dip a little of my moonshine onto these wounds of ours. That will help keep them from festering.''

He crouches down and quickly cuts the tails off all the dead wolves, then stuffs these trophies into his bags.

''One for each of us, eh?''

[RocEter]

"You are welcome Tristan, please call me Jullian. At least when my uncle isn't around. I haven't used the family name in years." he says to Tristan.

Jullian watches Tristan cut the tails off the wolves. He shakes his when asked if he would like to keep one, his own trophy is will end being the new scar on his leg.

He walks back to his war horse and mounts it. "Yes let us be on our way, I will have to check to see if Aunt Luisa left any remedies behind, if not I will have to go back to town in the morrow and speak with the priest." Jullian says.

[ewancummins]

Tristan speaks as he mounts and urges the horse homeward.

''Yeah, that's right. Did you fellows notice how those wolves were slobbering something purple? That's odd. I wonder if they were sick, or maybe poisoned by something they ate? ''

[JMaytr]

OUTSIDE THE STABLES AT PANCRAZIO MANOR-

Emilio smiles upon recognizing the young man before him.

"Master Goran! How pleased I am to see you!" The older man drops his sack and comes over to Goran and embraces him. Goran can see food refuse and other trash inside the bag. "Were you at the funeral today? If so why wait till the middle of the night to make an appearance, nearly giving this old soul a heart attack in the process. Surely you don't want me in the same state as your departed grandmother?

"And how was Barovia? I do miss the summers there, how the breeze off Mt. Gries could wipe the worries off a man. Come inside! Your sister is also here. I shall prepare your old room in the cellar. Come come! I'll have Mariabella and Agna whip up something for you to warm your stomach with. Lets get out of this rain."

[Griselda]

Seeing, Agna can barely believe, much less comprehend, the thing in front of her. What horrifies her more -- Mariabella's motionless form or the monstrosity holding her -- is a moot point. She clutches the tea jar with white-knuckled hands, as if it will somehow keep her alive. Her thoughts race in a white whirling cauldron nononothisiswrongthiscan'tbeLadyLuisa pleasedon'tletthisbeyouwhyare youdoingthisletmegetyousometeaEzrathisiswrongstopthiswhereis
everyonewhereisTukepleaseMariadon'tbedeadstopthisstopthisnono

Drawing breath grows more difficult by each horrible second. The blasphemy opens its mouth and maggots patter lightly to the floor in front of Agna. Suddenly, the scream is ripping her throat apart....





Will Save (Fear check) = 17

[PathOfDreams]

The rugged embrace of the old man removes any doubt of strength or will that Goran had expected in his old age...

"I was there Emilio, though nobody knew it. I had planned on a more public appearance, truth is, you caught me snoozing in the chill of the stables. I was not in the mood for a "grand" Pancrazio reception be it for union or death."

Goran excuses Emilio to return to the house while he disposes of the refuse in the sack. Goran turns the bag inside out on the heap to be burned outside the stable in order to determine the full contents and whether there is something for the dogs and horses. Wait he thinks Where are the remaining horses? Have some persihed since my last visit?

Snatching his pack, Goran heads for the kitchen door of the house, deciding the dogs would not dare to indulge in what remained of the meager feast...

[Irving the Meek]

Tuke hears a piercing scream from the larder. Startled, he hops of his perch on the kitchen table, wheels over to the larder door in the stairwell...

And stares for one brief shining moment at the wet, dripping horror standing in the larder door.(1)

He swallows around the heavy ball of ashes that seem to have congealed in his throat. Agna's trapped in there. Your tricks are in your cottage. You've got knives. You've got nothing. She's going to die.

You've got the only thing you've ever had, fool. Use it.

Tuke flings a vase from a wall sconce at the thing that was once the matron of the house, just to try and get her attention.(2) "HEY! Who did your hair, you old witch! You're looking pretty for once! What are those worms eating on you! I thought you'd be tougher than last year's beef jerky, you old skinflint!"(3)

Tuke keeps up a steady stream of insults, screaming them at the top of his lungs, hoping to do anything he can to get the wet, horrid thing to focus on him instead of Agna.

Ezra, save me. What am I doing? I'm no hero. But I'm the only thing Agna's got. I'll have to do. Ezra. Mother. Help.

(1) Fear check, result 18.
(2) Attack, -4 for improvised weapon, result 9.
(3) Bluff check, DC 14 Sense Motive check to resist. Assume that this is a non-kenderized kender taunt, for a reference point; failure would under normal circumstances impose a -1 to hit penalty and worsen attitude by 2 steps. Presumably, it's not real hard to make a Lucia hostile...

[Lord Skybolt]

As Tahl mounts his horse with his comrades " Well it's good to know that at least one of us can heal the others ." Commenting to the group . And we can count on Jullian in fight as well :Thinking to him self .

[JMaytr]

IN THE LARDER-


The creature before Agna shambles closer to the half vistani, half of the girl's scream caught in her throat as if grabbed by an icy claw. As the creature that was once Luisa approaches, Agna, overcome with fear, collapses to the floor with a thud, her eyes closed and her breaths slow. Tuke runs into the room yelling insults and throws a vase at the intruder. It turns and faces the halfling, a rapidly decomposing creature vomiting dozens of bloated green grubs from its open maw....

and things seem to go a blinding white. Tuke can hear a familiar screaming. His heart begins to race and he can feel things crawling between his toes.

The grubs. He thought, Those horrid green grubs...

there was a small pinpoint of clarity in the blinding white before him; a warped looking tunnel. It was bendy and the colors pushing through the white were blending together. The tunnel grew shorter and the opening at the end larger. Tuke could see what he thought were large black and green spikes and a shining, moving form. The form moved through the spikes and he saw an alabaster woman with a wand of pure white light. Slowly the form came closer and Tuke realized he was running towards her. As her wand caressed his cheek...


THUD!

Tuke slams face first into a large tree. He crumbles to the ground, a small trickle of blood running down the bridge of his nose. Looking down he can see his bare feet covered in wet clumps of mud. The rain is falling in stinging sheets and it doesn't take long for Tuke to become drenched and cold. Several moments pass before his breath returns to him in normal rhythm. Looking back the halfling can see Pancrazio Manor nearly a quarter mile off, the door to the kitchen spilling warm light out into the cold night.


The sounds of the screams filling the night air sends chills up the spines of Goran and Emilio as the pair approach the house from the stables. Moving quickly to see, Goran observes Magenta's hired fool running away from the Manor in a panic. Emilio watches as the halfling runs head first into a tree and collapses in a heap.

"That Tuke is a handful Master Goran. Your sister brought him with her from Sturben and he has made a spectacle of himself since. I'd have him removed from the house but Miss Phebe seems to enjoy his antics. Though the interest he pays in Agna is concerning; the maid has enough work to do without his distractions. Still," Emilio manages a smile as he watches the halfling pull himself up from the ground in the distance, "he can be rather amusing."

More movement in the distance catches Goran's eye. It is three men: Tahl, Tristan, and Goran's cousin Julian Pancrazio. The men approach from the far western side of the Pancrazio grounds near the road, Tuke had run towards the eastern side of the property.

"Ah, your cousin returns from seeing off Lord Enzo back to Von Ziyden. I'll get that food ready for you master Goran, and prepare some hot cider and brandy as well." Emilio moves off quickly, heading for the open kitchen door.

[PathOfDreams]

There in the downpour, the approaching riders spot Emilio outside the manor with a tall stranger...

His long, gnarled black mane holds heavy with rain, the water pours down the back of his tanned longcoat, collar turned up to shroud his jaws and neck. He slings his pack over one shoulder, turns his eyes to the east squinting through the rain. returning to face the west he strides slowly through the field towards the riders. Goran renders a salute to the Champion of Ezra, he has not seen his cousin in more than three winters.

TO JULLIAN- "Little cousin, it has been too long."

TO TAHL- "It appears you still go to arms for my family, thank you once again for your loyalty Tahl"

TO TRISTAN- "I believe this is our first happening. I am Goran, the only son of your master. I take it that was your report I heard in the distance not too long past. I trust you must be fairly competent else you would not be here. Its a pleasure."

Goran gestures to the manor with an outstrestched arm.

"I'll meet you all inside, I have to check on this fool of my sister's, apparently his jests never cease. He lay on the east side beneath a tree which he had an intimate encounter with jsut now. Emilio is off to prepare some warm drink."

Goran turns and picks up his pace to find the halfling.

[RocEter]

Jullian Raises his hand in greetings. "I believe I am no longer little anymore cousin." he says as he adjusts the cloth that serves as his eye patch.


"I will meet you inside, be careful this be a trick of his." he says to his cousin.

Jullian rides his horse to the stable and stables it, taking off the saddles and bit and bridle. He brushes his horse down, and then feeds a fresh apple. Patting the horse on the neck "Sleep well friend." he says to his horse.

After his horse is stabled and brushed. Jullian gathers his saddle bags and walks back to the Manor.

[Irving the Meek]

Tuke gets up on his hands and knees in the mud, blood trickling from his nose. He looks up, still as pale as a sheet, his chimes ringing and his eyes blurry from the collision.

"EMILIO! NO!", he yells at the top of his lungs. Realizing that Julian and the others are back, he continues: "In the larder! An... a... a bandit!" They'll never believe me. Just get them in there! "Agna's in danger! HELP!"